Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Did the Cold War End?
Position1 of 2

Yes, the Cold War Ended

The Cold War lasted for 45 years and culminated with the dissolve of the Soviet Union in 1991, at which point the newly-independent Russia transitioned from communism to capitalism. As the Berlin Wall fell, the Cold War officially ended between the Soviet Union and United States when leaders from both nations (Mikhail Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush) declared an end to the Cold War at a summit in 1989. With that, the end of the Cold War was signed and sealed between the two nations.

Supporting arguments · 6

  1. Malta Summit
    When Mikhail Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush met at the Malta Summit, U.S.-Soviet relations became infinitely more cooperative as the Cold War was put to an end. Bush and Gorbachev began to concern themselves with remedying the relationship between the East and the West through policymaking and mutual respect. The Cold War was declared obsolete by the end of this summit, and relations between what would soon become Russia, and the United States, benefited all the more for this Cold War resolve.
  2. NATO's transformation after 1991 marked the end of the Cold War
    This alliance between Western, industrialized nations had a Cold War strategy which prepared for a full-fledged war between Western nations and the Soviet Union. After the Cold War ended, NATO remained to guarantee security and stability for the Western nations' own mutual interests. With the official end of the Cold War, NATO was supposed to have disbanded but instead was enlarged by the U.S. This decision to not disband NATO but maintain such global alliance is an example of how the Cold War definitively ended, but even this event did not deter Western nations from keeping such union with one another.
  3. Fall of Berlin Wall
    The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 simultaneously symbolized the reunification of Germany and the disintegration of Soviet-imposed communism. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a crucial event during the end of the Cold War that ultimately contributed to the collapse of Soviet communism. With the end of Soviet-imposed communism in half of Germany, the Soviet Union likewise saw itself collapse not long after, both of which contributed to the end of the Cold War.
  4. The Cold War ended because it was the product of a unique time that no longer exists
    The Cold War definitively ended sometime between 1989 and 1991 because its natural lifespan had come to an end.
  5. The Cold War ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, signifying a democratic victory
    The Cold War definitively ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, thus signifying a democratic victory for the United States and the Western World.
  6. The Cold War ended with the Malta Summit and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989
    The Cold War ended in 1988 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, then the Malta Summit a few weeks later.